Saturday, August 20, 2011

PB Dionisio Firing Range

Firing a real gun had been in my bucket list for several years, just sitting pretty there, not moving a notch. Looking for new things to do, bf and I decided to finally take it off the list. We made reservations in PB Dionisio, a shooting range and gun shop in Quezon City.

Upon arrival though, we found out that they closed early that day because it was their anniversary. The staff asked us to return the following day. We complained calmly (arguing heatedly with people who work in a gun shop is not a very smart thing to do, you know) and stated that we had an appointment. The party's schedule probably slipped off the mind of the girl who took our reservations through phone. Realizing the mistake, two of the staff offered to accommodate us newbies. They would just go to the party after our session. Bf and I rented a pistol and took turns loading and firing it into our respective target boards.

Upon entering the shooting range, I asked the staff if I could handle the recoil. Like me, you have probably also seen many movies wherein there's a girl (or a wimpy guy) who shoots a gun for the first time in her life and is thrown a few steps back or even falls flat on her butt. Well I didn't want my butt to say hello to the ground, so I had to ask. He reassured me that recoil wasn't like that. True enough, recoil was minimal. The tip of the gun just swung upwards a bit after every shot.

I forgot to ask their names but the staff were really helpful and nice. They didn't rush us even though they had a party to go to afterwards. Explanations were clear and adequate. We were guided throughout the session, from discussing gun safety to observing our shots and offering tips to improve our aim.

They were also cheerful and friendly the whole time. I had beginner's luck and had cleaner shots than bf, prompting the staff to jokingly tell bf that he should always be "a good boy" haha!

Watch me in action here:

Oh btw, this cutie was at the shop that day, as an unexpected bonus:

In our next visit, we tried firing a rifle instead. At first, we fired while we were seated and the rifle was on a mount. Later on, we aimed and fired the rifle while we were standing.

This time around, the guy who assisted us was one of PB Dionisio's experts. He was also nice and chatty. He shared stories about his tournament experiences and celebrities he met and entertained my endless questions. Another thing different in this session were the targets: we had metal targets aside from the cardboard ones. The targets were also at different heights and as you can see in the picture below, two of the cardboard targets had big white centers while the other two had small orange ones. The different heights and sizes of the targets provided variety and challenge to our shooting.

Between a pistol and a rifle, a pistol is better suited for a petite female mouse potato like me. I found it a bit tiring to shoot the targets consecutively while I was standing up. It was challenging to steady the rifle in order to get a good aim since my arms were unconditioned. Bullets sometimes also jammed and I needed help to pull the bolt hard enough to release the jam. So I'll probably stick to handguns until I get in better physical shape.

Anyway, both sessions at PB Dionisio were very enjoyable. We felt relaxed afterwards. If the firing range was located near our house I would have signed up for membership then and there.

i love to be in a firing range now to let this steam out of my chest!! hahaha.actually i miss attending shoot fest and being in my friend's firing range in Bulacan, and firing that gun which is one of the tasks in the book "2001 things to do before you die" that i checked off my list many times over! Glad you checked this off from your own bucket list!

I'm glad the staff were friendly. I'm a socially inept 19-year-old and I'm thinking on blowing my savings on this as a semi-regular hobby. I haven't fired a gun since I was 13, but we used to do it often and I was a pretty good shot. Is there a minimum age for entry into the range? Can I go alone?

If you paid 1500-ish per session, how many rounds did you fire? Does the price of ammunition differ by caliber? Would it be cheaper in the long run if I signed up for a membership?

Well you're legally an adult so I don't think there will be any problems age-wise. For PB Dionisio, we availed of a promo. We paid P300 each (regular price P600) for the range fee and 50 rounds of ammo. What was expensive was the gun rental fee. That cost P750 (bf and I were allowed to just share the gun). Target boards cost P50 each.

Several firing ranges regularly offer promos nowadays via group buying sites so you can use those vouchers to get a discount. If you have a friend who's also into guns, you can go together and split the gun rental fee. It will be cheaper in the long run if you will sign up for a membership and buy your own gun.

Wow, good for you for having a go at shooting! My boyfriend wants to go to a firing range too, I just might suggest that place to him. I envy you for doing it! I will definitely try my hand at it too :)

You're right. People at PBDionisio Shooting Range are nice. When I took my gun safety seminar there, they accommodated me even though my appointment with them was miscommunicated by the gun store where I bought my unit. Kudos to Edgar, the expert trainer, from whom I learned in one session what would normally take long for a self-study gunowner. Also to Rachel, that pretty girl at the counter who took care of my documentations. I am now safely handling and shooting my new gun here in Bulacan. Keep it up!

PB Dionisio has been in business for a long time. Good to hear that they still have the best people manning the business. The only concern with the firearms business is the cost of imported firearm which is double the cost compared to North American market. Bureaucracy? Maybe. There are some good locally made pistols in the market which are worth a second look. Targetshooting is one of the best stress buster. Lowers your blood pressure without medication and conditions your heart rate. A little costly considering the investment for a gun. But as soon as you start reloading, it will be cheaper in the long run. It takes thousand of rounds to be comfortable with your shooting skills. A reloader is definitely an investment to look into. Safe shooting!

There really is a plenty of necessary information from your blog. I search accurately with regard to these kinds of information. Cheers a good deal with regard to giving this specific info. Wonderful blog in fact!

I’m delighted that I’ve observed this weblog. Finally something not a junk, which we go through incredibly frequently. The web site is lovingly serviced and saved as much as date. So it should be, thanks for sharing this with us.